Story 255: "atlas" by sohmer

[wendelah1]

Commenting is fixed, thanks to LJ support.

Since my last post, Fox made the announcement that The X-Files is coming back for six episodes, date as yet to be determined. I hope Chris Carter has some idea of how to bridge the distance between IWTB and whenever he decides to set these six episodes. From past experience, my guess is he won't. It will

Comments

[melissaisdown]

Thanks for the rec. I just read this. I like the length of it - about 9 pages. The transition from scene to scene felt natural and communicated the restless transience that's at the center of the story. M & S both seemed in character -- I could definitely see Scully smoking a cigarette on the upper peninsula, and I could also see her cutting her hair. I think it's interesting that Mulder is the one who wants to go find William and I can't decide if it's written for us to believe that Mulder needs direction, something to pursue -- or if it's just paternal longing/desperation. But Scully saying No is completely believable, and reminiscient of Emily, in my opinion--Scully considering the child's suffering, thinking that he/she is better off uninvolved in M & S's lives.

I also like the thing they do with their hands under the sheets. I think it will be the thing I remember the longest from this story, it's something I could see them doing. Hopefully, maybe, they will in the reboot.

[wendelah1]

They both seemed completely in character to me--and doing that while keeping them in transition from the end of the series to IWTB is hard stuff. Plenty of writers (including myself, it could be argued) fell short of this goal. I can only think of a handful that succeeded, even partially.

I liked this approach to the problem of William far better than most. I absolutely believe that Scully would put a stop to it if Mulder suggested they try to get him back. It's a moot point whether or not William would have been safer if she'd kept him or gone on the run with Mulder. It's what Chris Carter wanted. It's what got filmed.

They're no longer his parents. He's someone else's child. Seeing him again at this point, having to give him up again would be ruinous for everyone concerned. Taking William away from the only family he's known would be cruel. But plenty of fanfic writers have done it without blinking and I wouldn't put it past Chris Carter.

I think it's interesting that Mulder is the one who wants to go find William and I can't

[estella_c]

I liked this analysis of "Atlas" (why Atlas?) I think better than I liked the story itself. A few strong points are made--the rootless existence they have consigned themselves to, the determination of Scully to allow her son a separate life balanced off against Mulder's wish to claim him. I suppose Scully is Atlas. She's the tough one.

The bit that appealed to me most was the mysterious woman tinkering with the AC and offering cigarettes. That scene was quite well-done. I wanted to know more! Was she like the evanescent nurse in "One Breath?" If so, telling Scully to take time for herself seemed a weak intervention.

My real problem is a matter of taste. I simply don't enjoy the fanciness of the style. A line like "it passes like second-hand smoke, an unreal dreamscape buzzing at the nape of her neck" to describe a haircut seems to be trying too hard. And why "second-hand" anyway? Smoke is smoke. Unless you're trapped in a burning room.

[wendelah1]

Why "Atlas"? It's a word with more than one meaning, which is helpful if you're choosing a single word title. It's a story about people who are on a journey, who are trying to find their way. An atlas is a book of maps, useful for journeys. Atlas is also the name for the Titan who holds up the planets, including Earth, for all eternity as his punishment for siding with the older gods against the Olympians.

I think both Mulder and Scully have been forced to shoulder heavy burdens because of their role in fighting the Consortium, fighting colonization. They're both strong people, in their own, complementary ways.

The title works for me.

My real problem is a matter of taste. I simply don't enjoy the fanciness of the style. A line like "it passes like second-hand smoke, an unreal dreamscape buzzing at the nape of her neck" to describe a haircut seems to be trying too hard. And why "second-hand" anyway? Smoke is smoke. Unless you're trapped in a burning room.
It is a matter of taste. I like her style. It suits the story she is telling

[estella_c]

Your alternate definition of the title cleared it up for me. They're tracing a map.

The style still bothers me. It's a mundane thing: getting a haircut. To call in multiple (and familiar) connotations to convey something subtle to the reader is, I think, overthinking on the part of the writer. But this vague existence to which God Carter consigned M&S is irking the entire fandom and getting in the way of creativity. I say ignore it and create your own situation, but it's an individual call. I suppose canon remains canon, GD it.

This forthcoming series will change things. If not necessarily for the better.

[wendelah1]

The style still bothers me. It's a mundane thing: getting a haircut. To call in multiple (and familiar) connotations to convey something subtle to the reader is, I think, overthinking on the part of the writer.

I don't see how a writer can over-think something. Every word is supposed to matter. Maybe you meant something else? Maybe you think she's using the wrong words?

Getting a haircut can be a mundane thing, and perhaps it is for you, but it isn't for everyone, and it certainly isn't in every situation. When I cut my hair after being accepted into nursing school, it was a kind of rite of passage for me. I had long hair, well past my shoulder blades, and it had taken me years to grow it that long. When my husband started working for The Man and got his first corporate haircut, it was a big deal. Other haircuts that aren't mundane: a little boy's first haircut, Samson's hair being cut, the buzz-cut soldiers were traditionally give upon entrance into the military, a novice cutting her hair and taking her final vows